Pick Hits

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See also the Pick Operating System Portal

Starting in the 1980s Pick Systems began publishing a book called "Pick Hits", which listed several hundred pages of software application vendors.  The first printing I remember was a smaller red book about the shape of a Reader's Digest, but a bit thicker.  Several years later, I purchased a large gray book about the shape of an encyclopedia volume.  I got rid of both of these copies over a decade ago, and now that I'm a historian, I wish I would have kept them.  Many articles could be created out of them today.  Pete Schellenbach of AccuSoft recently sent me yet another edition.  This is a large red covered spiral bound edition. which states copyright 1988 and inside a forward by Dick Pick states : "In this fifth printing of Pick Hits, we briefly outline more than 1,500 vertical applications, as well as nearly 200 horizontal applications and productivity tools.... we have included listings for Pick dealers, programmers and consultants... training centers, user groups and Pick licensees."  I believe the last edition of "Pick Hits" was probably in the early to mid-90s.

The 1988 edition, states on the front cover "Pick Hits" "Software Applications & Resource Guide".
On the back cover it states "Pick Systems, 1691 Browning, Irvine CA 92714" "(714) 261-7425 Telex 655420"

On the title page it states "Pick Hits" "Application Software and Resource Guide for The Pick System" "Copyright 1988, Pick Systems, All Rights Reserved"

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There is then a two-page foreword by "Richard Pick, President Pick Systems", then a Table of Contents, a few paragraphs about how great the Pick System is, and then it lists the "Pickware Products".  It's not clear here who the vendor was for the Pickware Products, perhaps Pick Systems themselves.  The Pickware Products were: "The Works" word processor, "AccuPlot-PC" a plotting tool, "CompuSheet" spreadsheet and "MainLink" asynchronous communications.

On the next page is a blurb about how there are "Over 2,000 dealers on six continents", and how hardware is available from "over 100 manufacturers".  The dealers listed on the next pages are only those "...that returned the Pick Dealer Survey."  The dealers are then listed by state, no foreign dealers are listed.  California has the largest number of dealers listed with thirty six.  Only thirty states are listed, so twenty have no dealers listed at all.  On the next pages is listed Pick Training Courses, locations, and providers of training.  Twenty five training providers are listed.

Then on the next pages are "Pick Consultants", again listed by state, no foreign listings are present.  There are about 120 listings in this section.  The next section is for User Groups, there are forty-two listed in the United States, broken-down by state, and then another eight foreign listings.

The largest section, which follows, is 252 pages of the application software vendors.  It is organized by the vertical market for which it is intended, for example Banking or Automotive, or if sufficiently generic by the function it performs, for example Payroll, Invoicing or Tutorial.

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The next section is a series of indexes.  There is a four-page Index of Classifications, then a twenty-nine-page  Index of Application Software by Title, then a forty-four-page Index of Application Software by Company.


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See Also

• Pick, Universe, Unidata Resources
  
• MultiValue Community WebRing
• Companies which use Pick
• Information flavor accounts for Pick flavor people
• Companies Which Used Pick
• Pick Dealers in California in 1988 and Today

• Richard A "Dick" Pick (d. 19 Oct 1994)
• The Ultimate Corp
• Books on the Pick Operating System